Silence
by Bushy Squirrel
Summary: Life after Mary's death isn't exactly the easiest in the Winchester household. AU-ish. Rated T for language.


**A/N: **I am primarily writing this as a gift to Deansass on Tumblr, for all the awesome asks she's been doing. It's only fair she get something in return.

However, I hope the rest of you enjoy this one-shot as well! It's my first since joining the Supernatural fandom, as well as my first in this genre.

* * *

Dean flinched when the sounds of a shattering beer bottle reached his ears. He immediately approached Sammy's crib, preparing to calm his baby brother in case their father's latest explosion woke him up. Sammy crying wouldn't help at all. Thankfully, though, the younger Winchester boy remained asleep. For the moment.

"Dean!" John's screech echoed up the stairway. Dean hesitated slightly, staring at his baby brother for a few risky seconds before hurrying out the bedroom door. In the past couple months, John became increasingly short-tempered when left waiting. Dean was barely in the kitchen when he had to freeze. The shattered glass littered the floor. Giving the glass a wary look, Dean looked up to his father and waited to hear what he wanted.

"Dea...!" John began to yell again, stopping mid-syllable when he finally saw his oldest son in the doorway. "Dammit, speak up when you're called for!"

All Dean could do was nod rapidly in acknowledgment. John didn't seem _too_ drunk tonight, so perhaps he wouldn't expect much from Dean this time.

"Go out to the garage and make sure the doors are all locked up." John hissed as he opened up another bottle. "Heaven forbid some _punk_ think he'll break in and steal the car for a joyride."

Nodding again, Dean pressed himself against the cabinets so he could slip around the glass and get to the back door. He didn't even think to grab the flashlight off the counter near the door. The last time he did, he didn't sit comfortably for a few days.

Just outside the door, Dean froze again as he took in the distance between the house and the garage. It was quite a distance for his four-year-old legs and it would be all too easy for him to trip over something in the dark. Dean decided to slowly descend the back steps and make his way across the yard at a crawling pace, knowing any injuries would go ignored by his father tonight. Once he reached the pavement of the driveway, though, he booked it the rest of the way to make up for lost time. Dean let himself thump into the wood as he rapidly tested the handle for the large door. When it refused to budge an inch, Dean was satisfied that no one was going to open the large door tonight and move on to the regular door on the side. He expected it to be locked like the big door, but was shocked when the handle turned and the door opened for him. Throwing a panicked look towards the house, knowing his father would be beyond angry if he found out the side door had been left unlocked, Dean took a step inside the garage to give it a cursory look. Seeing all the major pieces of equipment still in their places and the Impala intact, Dean locked the handle from the inside and pulled it tightly closed as he stepped back outside. Giving the handle another test turn, relieved when it barely moved an inch, Dean braced himself for the return trip back to the house.

"What the hell took you so long? All you had to do was check two damn doors!" John snapped when Dean entered the house. Dean gave his father a slightly frightened look in return, not having expected his father's temper to get worse in the time he was gone. The rest of the house was silent, meaning Sammy was still sleeping, so his father's temper meant he had probably already downed the bottle he opened when ordering Dean to go check the garage. "You know what? Fuck it. I'm not in the mood to be given excuses. Just get your ass to bed before I put it there."

Not needing to be told twice, Dean made his way around the all the glass on the floor again and barely managed to keep himself from running for the stairwell. The fact that he didn't have to clean up the kitchen floor tonight was a plus and he didn't want to risk being called back to do it.

Dean entered Sammy's room again and approached the crib to check on his baby brother, mentally thanking whoever was listening that Sammy remained sleeping through tonight's somewhat tame explosion from their father. Another crash filled the house as their father threw another empty bottle at the floor, causing Dean to jump, but Sammy continued to be oblivious to the sounds around him. Half a smile quirked Dean's mouth as he reached into the crib to caress Sammy's face.

"Night, Sammy." Dean whispered through the slots on the side of the crib before turning to head off to his own bedroom.


End file.
